Historical research area

Supervisors and Contact persons

Historical Research Area: the contribution of the research group

What is historical research?

“Historical research is a qualitative method of research whose objective is the discovery of new knowledge through the examination of past events using documents, objects, images or by interviewing people who have experienced those events” (Garrino et al., 2014).

Historical research – methodology and tools required

Finding and analysis of the “historical sources” that Chabod (2012) classifies in primary (written by privileged witnesses who have lived and documented the event in first person) and secondary (derived, e.g. historiographical heritage).

Primary historical sources are subdivided into:

written or documentary sources (statistics, parliamentary acts, hospital regulations, etc.) or narrative sources (annals, biographies and diaries, memoirs, etc.)
figurative (paintings, photographers and, etc.)
oral (traditions, interviews).

Source localization/search tools:

Libraries using paper or electronic catalogues (OPAC SBN system)
Google Books (Google books search engine) for digitized books not covered by copyright in full text mode and free
General Guide System of the State Archives to access all the funds held at the Central State Archive
Information system of the State Archives (SIAS), for small and medium-sized assets held in the State Archives
Unified information system of archival superintendences (SIUSA), primary point of access for non-state public and private heritage, not present in the State Archives.

Why historical research in nursing

Historical research helps to understand the care needs of people in all societies and all times, and the answers that the profession has offered in the historical continuum to improve care outcomes.

Research group’s areas of investigation:

The evolution of the profession through the description of the nursing figure in relation to the health context within which it is placed (e.g. recruitment requirements, tasks, placement of the health organization, etc.)
The development of the profession over time in relation to the health context, but also social, economic and political reference (e.g. health policy analysis, emerging needs for care resulting from war, the presence of socio-sanitary reforms, fan-formist, economic crises, the establishment of totalitarianism, etc.)
The process of structuring and professional development (e.g. distinctive skills, group defence, training courses, etc.)
The dynamics that have taken place over time in the construction of the concept of professional image, as an identity element of the category (e.g. processes of internal and external recognition, social visibility, etc.)
The evolution of the technical professional skills of the nurse (e.g. comparison of past knowledge with current knowledge)
Occupational generalization, the woman-nurse stereotype and the impact on the profession

The main results of the research team

Identification of the nursing figure in the fascist era: the Assistential Reform does not see the complete replacement of “old” nurses with those who have graduated, however it brought an elevation of the professional figure (Piervisani et. al., 2018).
Description of the process of recognition internal and external to the nursing category, with definition and structuring of the image and professional group (Piervisani et al.,2018).
“Generalization” of the nursing profession, rooting of female stereotypes hindering professional development (Piervisani et al., 2018).
There are inconsistencies and contradictions both within and outside the professional category, which determine the continuous search for a nursing identity (Di Nardo et al., in press).
Identification of a possible contrast to the stereotypical image of the nurse (Di Nardo et al., in press).

Future developments

The research team is also studying:

Nursing (role, tasks, hierarchical relationships, recruitment requirements, working conditions, code of nursing conduct, etc.) in the post-unitary period from 1861 to 1910.
The image of the nurse-woman and the social, institutional and individual dynamics that have contributed to the construction process in the fascist period from 1939 to 1943.
The evolution of care and construction of professional identity roots in the 50’s-60’s, through the analysis of the contribution of some women nurses.
The current definition of professional image through a mechanism of permanence and differences with the past, exploring the relationship with the medical profession (variables of gender, level of training, settings of exercise), with the person assisted and his or her family entourage

Partnerships and funding